Thing #1
I think it is only fair that – at the beginning of this Web 2.0 journey – I make a confession: I am cynical when it comes to incorporating technology into my role as an educator. At age 25, I find myself in a very awkward position. In the seven years since I graduated from high school, the age of my paper-and-pencil, no-questions-asked educational experience has become extinct, and I find myself fumbling through the technological reality of the present. I can remember our elementary school computers with black screens and blinking orange cursors. I typed class reports on a typewriter, as we did not get our first home computer until I was in eighth grade. The only technological advantage I had in high school was my TI-83 graphing calculator, which I saw as a god-send. My cell phone used prepaid minutes, and it lived in the dashboard of my car, pending emergency use only. When I was issued a school email address in college, I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with it. And, when my college philosophy professor required that I make entries in what I now learn is called a blog (but was so new that it didn’t even have a name back then), I found it to be unnatural and uncomfortable to share my thoughts so freely with the world.
I don’t know how it happened so quickly, but the world has changed. I feel as though I have whiplash from watching it happen. My memories from middle and high school are so fresh. We didn’t use this “stuff” then, and I turned out okay. With arms folded, I stubbornly ask: Why is it so necessary now?
I strongly believe there is a time and place for old-fashioned learning. I am a math teacher, and I still see the value in paper-and-pencil calculations. I see how students respond to watching the answer unfold in front of their eyes as they solve a complicated problem. I know that technology can aide in my teaching; however, I struggle to see its easy applications in my classroom.
While I am admittedly stubborn and cynical, I am not stupid. I realize that I must keep up with the times. In any effort to avoid it, I will lose my students’ attention and therefore rob them of the wealth of experience that comes from enjoying learning. It is with that attitude that I approach this Web 2.0 course. How can I acknowledge this “necessary evil” without selling my soul? 
MOST CHALLENGING…HABIT #3: View problems as challenges – As a general rule, I am not frustrated very easily. I enjoy learning new things, and I like to think that I rise to the occasion when faced with an obstacle. However, technology seems to be my Achilles’ heel. When I was younger, my parents joked that I had the power to break a computer simply by touching it. I have plenty of stories I could share, the most dramatic of which is the time when the hard drive in my college laptop literally caught flame, melted my computer, and burnt a hole in my desk. Needless to say, I constantly encounter problems that I cannot seem to solve, and I hope that through the course of this experience I will learn to approach them with the same optimism and determination that I do other problems in my life.
MOST RELEVANT…HABIT #5: Create your own learning toolbox – If I am going to dive into this world of technological advances, then I want to swim to the depths. I want to learn about all of the “cool stuff” available out there; that way, I can pick and choose from the best features to use in my classroom.
MOST IMPORTANT…HABIT #6: Use technology to your advantage – When I incorporate technology into my classroom, I want it to be useful and meaningful for my curriculum. I want it to emphasize the meaning of our material, strengthen the students’ understanding of the concepts, and open their eyes to its application and connection to the world around them. Otherwise, I feel I would be sacrificing the mathematical foundation that is fundamental to my classes.
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Dear Carrie,
I certainly feel your hesitation about the worth of integrating technology in your class and I truly appreciate your honesty.
After reading the book, “Disrupting Class”, it reminded me that most of us want to teach in the way that we personally learn. We were taught by teachers who shared our learning style. The reality is that many of our students do not learn through traditional methods.
I became interested in using technology in my teaching several years ago while teaching physics. I was a new teacher working hard to teach my students. I was living in North Carolina and they required an “End of Course Test” for each subject. Test scores were posted in the local paper and since I was the only Physics teacher in my school, I was compared to the other schools in my county. I am ashamed to admit that my initial motivation was due to the fact that I wanted my students to out perform other students from neighboring schools.
Regardless of the reason, I started working hard on trying to reach my students who possessed learning styles different from my teaching style. It was frustrating at first…but I was fortunate in that I designed an independent study course (while working on a masters degree)on this goal.
I identified a unit in which my students performed poorly. For me, it was waves and diffraction. The first year, I lectured on the content, worked basic problems on the board, I gave guided practice problems and followed a traditional lesson plan. Ater my scores were posted, I started putting together a unit that involved “hands on” activities/labs, real world applications and I even found software to use. I designed centers and my students rotated to the different centers. Long story short, it worked. My scores the next year in this area was not only the highest in my county but one of the top in the state. I became a believer. Students who are engaged and excited about learning will retain more content.
I am looking forward to working with you Carrie. I am so happy you are taking this course.
Have a great summer,
Connie